Strasbourg, Council of Europe - "The Venice Commission has received a request for an opinion from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament regarding the appointment of Supreme Court judges. I welcome the willingness of the Georgian authorities to cooperate with us in order to establish clear and transparent criteria and procedures for the selection and appointment of these judges.

The Venice Commission will deal with this request speedily as it is conscious that it is urgent to have a full composition of the Supreme Court to ensure its effective functioning.

As concerns the appointment of other judges, the Venice Commission underlines that it is important that their status does not remain undetermined for an excessive period of time. The appointment of judges until their retirement, based on clear and transparent criteria and procedures, is an essential condition for the independence of the judiciary."